


and if you were to ask me (after all that we've been through) if i still believe in magic (of course i do).

by serenitysea



Series: we are the architects of light { lara 'verse } [2]
Category: Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (TV)
Genre: F/M, Kid Fic, Some angst, but mostly just a lot of really cute feels
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-10-10
Updated: 2014-10-10
Packaged: 2018-02-20 16:14:42
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,644
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2435069
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/serenitysea/pseuds/serenitysea
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>(<b>aka</b>: five times lara elizabeth ward reminded her parents of the past without even trying and kept them laughing in the process.)</p><p> </p><p>Lara is watching with curious wide eyes. "What's a rookie?" The word feels unfamiliar on her tongue but she doesn't mind it.</p><p>Ward and Skye share a loaded glance and she smirks to herself before stepping away to clean up the remnants of dinner.</p><p>"Well," he begins thoughtfully, "It's someone who is new to their job and doesn't know all the rules yet."</p>
            </blockquote>





	and if you were to ask me (after all that we've been through) if i still believe in magic (of course i do).

**Author's Note:**

> i can't believe i FORGOT to put this in: lara will indeed be residing in the [emmy 'verse](http://b-isforbombshell.tumblr.com/post/99614387575/starlight-starbright) and you can read all about her older cousin as a wee lady if you're curious as to how skye and ward EVENTUALLY get together.

By the time their daughter Lara is born, Ward has never been more strung out in his entire life. (Skye doesn't have the heart to tell him that it's only going to get more nerve-wracking from here on out. She thinks that those are the kind of life-surprises you're better off not knowing beforehand. Also, she just brought a new _human_ into existence and she's a little tired, to say the least.)  
  
"You look better." Ward stands at the threshold of the hospital suite, hovering anxiously as he is too nervous to actually set foot inside.  
  
Skye has their daughter cradled in her arm and raises her free hand toward him, beckoning him inside. When he finally perches on the bed next to her, unable to tear his eyes away from the tiny infant in his wife's arms, she smirks and rubs her thumb over his stubbled cheekbone. "Better than when I was dying, you mean?"  
  
Ward closes his eyes and exhales loudly. "Despite whatever you might hear, little one —" he strokes a finger over her downy soft dark hair (that she had been born with an impressive amount of dark hair had shocked no one, especially Jemma, who had pretty much drawn up flowcharts as to how their child would appear) "— your mother and I love each other a lot. Almost as much as we love you."  
  
" _Almost_?" Skye archly questions, raising an eyebrow.  
  
"C'mon, Skye, she's needs to hear this kind of stuff. It's good for her development."  
  
"She's only three hours old, Ward. I think we can leave the heavy stuff until later."  
  
Ward bends his head to press a gentle kiss on all of that dark hair. "There's not enough room in the world to hold our love for you, Lara Elizabeth. You'd better get used to it."  
  
And Skye — slightly delirious with exhaustion and possibly still a little doped up from the pain medication — can't help but laugh at her big, bad husband (who can kill a man seventeen different ways with his bare hands) and the pile of mush he's become.  
  
"Dammit Ward," she bites her lip at his scandalized look off her mild swear words. "Keep looking at her that way and we're going to have another one of these _real_ soon."  
  
Ward protectively covers Lara's ears. "Don't talk about that in _front_ of her!"

* * *

  
  
When Lara is two and a half years old, she manages to pull Skye's cowl on over her head.  
  
It is comically too large for her, and hangs down from her shoulders like a shirt. There should be something _so wrong_ about one's daughter in combat gear, but honestly… Skye can barely stop laughing long enough to manage taking a quick photo with her phone and sending it to Ward.  
  
Lara trundles over to Skye and reaches her hands in an open-close manner, indicating she wants a boost. "Mama. UP."  
  
Still laughing, Skye bends to grab her daughter and holds her close. "Daddy is going to be very mad at you for putting on Mommy's work clothes…"  
  
Lara pets at the leather distractedly. "Pretty dress."  
  
There is a chirp from her phone and she looks down to see a message from Ward. [ _I thought I told you to stop leaving your clothes all over the house_.]  
  
She shifts Lara to one hip and heads for the kitchen, thumbing back a response. [ _And I thought I told **you** that if you kept welcoming me home from a mission that way, there would be consequences. Someday you'll understand._ ]  
  
There is a giggle from her daughter as she begins gnawing on the straps of the cowl, batting her eyelashes innocently. Skye halfheartedly groans and nimbly works on freeing the material, slanting a reproving look at her. "Not the best chew toy, Lara-loo."  
  
Lara pouts adorably at her with the same sad look she's seen on Ward's face one too many times and Skye relents, offering the strap again, which Lara promptly shoves back into her mouth.  
  
[ _Get Lara a sitter for the night and maybe I'll give you you want._ ]  
  
"Oh, I'm counting on it," she grins, pressing kisses to her daughter's cheeks. "Time to call in reinforcements, baby. Mommy's got a hot date."

* * *

  
  
Ward wears socks on nights that are especially cold.  
  
Lara is in charge of fetching them from the basket at the foot of the bed and likes to look at all the colors and shapes.  
  
It makes her feel important to be able to pick the one she wants her Daddy to wear for the night. She likes having "official duties." (It's what Mommy and Daddy talk about all the time so she asked them for some "official duties" and now she is in charge of socks and also other fun things that she gets stickers for completing.)  
  
"Daddy, why do you like these fuzzy socks so much?"  
  
"It makes my toes feel cozy," He smiles warmly, swinging her up onto his lap.  
  
"Like when you and mom cuddle with me?" She is secretly hoping they will cuddle with her tonight.  
  
"Exactly like that." He wraps his arms around her tight and holds her close.  
  
Skye lunges from where she is seated on the couch to bounce onto the bed, throwing her arms around the two of them. "CUDDLE FEST!"  
  
Lara giggles and shrieks with laughter when the tickling begins.  
  
(Later, she notices that whenever Grandma May comes to visit, there are always new socks in the basket.)

* * *

  
  
"That was such a rookie mistake!" Ward yells at the TV angrily. "Are you blind?!"  
  
" _ **Grant**_." Skye reprimands sharply from where she is typing on the computer.  
  
Lara is watching with curious wide eyes. "What's a rookie?" The word feels unfamiliar on her tongue but she doesn't mind it.  
  
Ward and Skye share a loaded glance and she smirks to herself before stepping away to clean up the remnants of dinner.  
  
"Well," he begins thoughtfully, "It's someone who is new to their job and doesn't know all the rules yet."  
  
"Like the people who work for Grandpa and Grandma?" Lara frowns, crinkling her nose in frustration. "Because Grandpa is ALWAYS talking about those 'brainless newsies'."  
  
"— _Newbies_ , baby." Skye hides her smile with her hand and begins drafting a strongly worded email to the Director of Shield, taking care to CC Deputy Director May in the process.  
  
Lara is watching her parents' reactions with wide eyes and making mental notes. Ward sees the look on his daughter's face and valiantly tries to recapture the thread of the original question.  
  
"It can _also_ — in some very rare and special cases," Ward casts a heated look at his wife, "— refer to an exceptionally beautiful and stubborn woman who has an innate ability to drive her SO up the wall."  
  
Skye cannot muffle the laughter this time and —  
  
Lara frowns thoughtfully. "What's… ess-oh?"  
  
"Supervising —"  
  
"Significant other, kiddo." Skye pulls Lara into her arms and smooths her hair reassuringly. "Like a fancy word for husband or wife."  
  
"Oh." Lara watches the baseball game and the house is quiet for a few minutes. "So then you're Daddy's rookie, right?"  
  
Ward closes his eyes and prays for strength.

* * *

  
  
Lara is sacked out from a cold that has been kicking her butt (and her parents' butts) all week.  
  
Seeing their little spitfire — normally so full of life and energy — at less than half her power, sluggish and mopey for the past several days has taken as much of a toll on them as the physical sickness. It's nothing more than a common cold, but as a parent, when your child is facing something that you can't protect them from — it's heartbreaking.  
  
With Lara sprawled across their laps, Skye leans heavily against Ward's shoulder and sighs. "Jemma says that the worst of it should be over now that her fever's broken."  
  
Ward absently kisses her forehead. "I almost wish it had been a bully at school. I can't protect her from something like this, something I can't see or totally understand."  
  
"Congratulations," Skye lopsidedly smiles at him. "Welcome to parenthood."  
  
There is a low buzz of panic beginning to register in the back of his mind and it's absolutely terrifying.  
  
"Tell me it gets easier," He pleads, running a hand through Lara's hair. "Tell me we get better at dealing with this."  
  
Lara mumbles something indistinct in her sleep and shifts onto her side, nearly elbowing Ward in a _very_ dangerous place in the process. Skye laughs softly and rubs circles onto her back until Lara resettles into slumber.  
  
"Think of it this way…" Her eyes are bright and happy, and Ward honestly can't believe that anything he's ever done has made him worthy of this kind of peace. "At least we're in it together."  
  
He thinks about the life they've had; the ups and downs and horrors they have seen. The personal hell he'd gone through in their months (and cumulative _years_ apart) and how gut-wrenching it had been nearly losing Skye to the darkness. Then he looks down at their tiny and perfect daughter and knows that tomorrow morning, she'll be bounding into their room with demands for mini pancakes and all the syrup (which he will careful limit, lest she get sicker) and marvels at how his life has turned out.  
  
Ward shifts so that he can pull both of his girls close. "Like pieces solving a puzzle."  
  
The tender smile on Skye's face is all the response he needs to know that he's said the right thing, but she takes it one step further and cranes her neck to kiss him deeply. Beneath their hands, Lara snores softly, blissfully unaware.  
  
With one last kiss, Skye draws back to cup his face in her hands. "Exactly."  

*  
  
 _and if you were to ask me_  
 _after all that we've been through_  
 _if i still believe in magic_  
 _…of **course** i do._


End file.
